


ACT Like It

by Zixzs



Category: Deltarune (Video Game)
Genre: Acting, Amnesia, Backstory, Cute, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Hugging, compliments, practice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:33:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25186447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zixzs/pseuds/Zixzs
Summary: After yesterday's lackluster experiences with ACTing, Susie tries to get a bit of practice in with Ralsei's help. Compliments, teasing, and a surprising amount of honesty ensue.
Relationships: Ralsei/Susie (Deltarune)
Kudos: 29





	1. Taught

Orange sunlight bathed over the early morning like a giant campfire, warm and cozy without being too uncomfortable. The early hour made itself known with the distant chirping of birds and crickets alike, both piercing the static silence of Hometown. A wet dew dotted the blades of grass underfoot. The humidity thickened the air with just a sliver of moisture, still too early in the process of heating up to be that bothersome. Not a soul was out present, most residents either sleeping through the wee hours of the morning or still getting ready for the day inside their respective homes. That was Susie's favorite part.

Sighing, the monster girl shouldered her lackluster book bag. Her hair was less bothersome than usual, allowing her to rub the last grainy specks out of her sleep-encrusted eyes as she resumed her pace through town. The minor humidity did its best to weigh her purple jacket, cooling the exposed knees of her jeans. Normally, she'd find the sensation annoying, or at least bothersome. She was too distracted by her destination to complain about the placidity of the morning, though, so she strode unimpeded, shoes making heavy footfalls on the concrete of the sidewalk.

"Wonder if Ralsei's got anything like this down there," she found herself pondering. She wasn't one to get so enamored with the peaceful feeling of the morning, but that goat would probably get a kick out of it all and then some. Susie's thoughts drifted towards the boy, recalling yesterday like… well, like it was yesterday. So much had happened in those handful of hours. Not only had she allowed herself to drop that whole "edgy bully" schtick, but she had actually made some friends. That was a first.

The glow of the morning reflected off Susie's yellow grin as she chuckled to herself. She wasn't too surprised to find a friend in Lancer, that odd goofball of a kid turned odd goofball of a king. He practically forced their friendship, but the endearing (and ironic) admiration of Susie's more violent tendencies didn't hurt. Kris, though a little strange in their own right, turned out to be remarkably amicable despite their off-putting demeanor. Their gusto to have Susie flirt with enemies well past the point of reason seemed like some joke between friends in retrospect. Besides, she could forgive their weirdness if it meant they'd share more of those Dark Candies. No argument there. Ralsei, though…

Susie hummed to herself, glancing at the shuttered windows of one of the houses she strode past. "That guy's the _real_ weird one," she mumbled to herself.

Her admittance wasn't said with any derogatory intent, for once. She still liked to think of Ralsei as a friend, same as Kris and Lancer. Given how he considers pretty much everyone _his_ friend, it's the least she could do. But then, that was the problem.

Susie shook her head, the back of her neck suddenly feeling itchy. It was one thing to be optimistic, seeing strangers as potential friends even when they're actively trying to kill you. That much, Susie could attribute to just being how the Dark World operated. She could get behind the whole "make love not war" philosophy actually working there. But when someone actively works against all of Ralsei's efforts to be nice, sticks to her violence despite all of his wishes and warnings, and straight-up makes fun of him for trying to help, then how could he still put up with her, much less want to be friends after all that? It didn't make sense to Susie.

She did appreciate Ralsei, no doubt about that. His patience with her was far from ignored. The fact that he could even have that much patience and forgiveness is what threw Susie for a loop. Though, she supposed that was why she was awake before 8:00 in the first place. Part of it, at least. The girl scratched at her freckles, finally coming up on the double doors of the school. They loomed over her like a pair of judgmental parents. Shaking her head, Susie pushed through and stepped into the empty halls of the school.

Thankfully, Susie's atypical waking hours hadn't gone unrewarded. Though the lights were on, no one else littered the hallways. Good. Susie nodded to herself, hurrying her pace a tad to make sure no teacher would catch her out in the halls alone. After finding the distinctly beaten locker and throwing her book bag inside with enough force to dent the metal, she slammed the slate shut, turning towards the corner of the hall. The black doors to the supply closet appeared to be waiting like an old friend. Susie felt her lips pull themselves up in another grin.

Purple hands placed themselves on the smooth surface of the doors, pushing them open with ease. A black void met Susie's eyes, only intensifying her grin. She held her breath, forcing her leg to lift itself up to the unnatural blackness permeating the "supply closet." She felt the floor underneath, and after another breath, stepped inside. One last glance at the empty school halls was given before she closed the doors behind her. A second later, the tiles underfoot gave way.

Susie couldn't tell exactly how much time passed before she collided with the dusty stone of the ground. The impact didn't hurt as much as physics usually dictated, feeling like a light shove at worst. Only a few seconds of recognition passed before Susie sat up, looking over her now bare arms. Spiked bracers adorned her wrists and shoulders, the yellow complimenting the cool purple trim of her dark jacket. Unlike the old under-sized shoes she'd entered the school with, the pair of boots she wore now was just the right size. Those boots planted themselves firmly on the floor, the girl dusting her hands off as she looked for a moment. Seeing the path she took last time, she set off once again.

The walk was quiet as Susie retraced yesterday's route through the ominous chalky blobs and oozing craters of blackness. A few glints of light poked out from the holes, but Susie knew better than to reach into that stuff. As she walked, a few of those weird dangly protrusions waved in place from the ground, looking disturbingly sentient. Susie hurried a tad.

" _Hard to believe a guy like Ralsei lives in a place like this,"_ she thought, trying not to eye the depressing landscape for fear of getting eyed back. Those weird carvings in the walls weren't helping. The dreary rocks and cliffs reminded Susie of a mysterious graveyard; a far cry from the cheerful and bright demeanor Ralsei permanently had glued to himself. If Susie lived in a place this ominous, she'd probably never leave the house. Good on Ralsei for not letting all that dreadful gray get to him.

That was kind of a theme with him, wasn't it? Susie stepped carefully onto the steep drop of stone, half-sliding down the weathered incline as her mind turned back to Ralsei once again. Even when the King had been calling him scum and doing his best to murder the three of them, Ralsei stayed determined to find a peaceful solution. Hell, he was so adamant in doing the right thing that he stood up to Susie, of all people. She smirked at the memory. Not a lot of people, adults or otherwise, tended to call Susie out for being an ass. She'd sooner be caught dead than admitting it, but she was honestly proud of him for having the guts. Attributing those guts to a small guy like him was a difficult connection for Susie to make, but not impossible.

"Probably got enough space under those robes for 'em," Susie joked aloud, landing at the floor of the cliff with a brief stumble. Though, that did remind her that she'd probably need some guts of her own to go through with what she was there for. She looked back up at the stone for a few moments before continuing forwards, soon breaching the threshold into the lonely town.

Empty windows and locked doors peered back at the monster girl, all vacant like those cracks of oozing blackness she'd seen earlier. Like the dusty landscape she landed in, the town was dead quiet. No birds or crickets to be heard, not even the usual crackle of firelight from the few blue torches lighting up the town. Susie had to wonder how to tell time in a place so devoid of sunlight and life. Though, maybe Ralsei made up for that on his own.

"Hey, look at that," Susie hummed as she walked towards the steps to Ralsei's castle. "Maybe I don't need the practice after all."

Susie reached the door after some time, peering up at the dilapidated wood. As she grew close to the gate, doubt began seeping in like tar. Maybe she didn't need to do this? It might've not been worth the risk of embarrassing herself. After all, she _just_ got on good terms with Ralsei. The last thing she wanted to do was screw up what semblance of a friendship she already had with him.

"Too late to back out now," Susie told herself with a sigh. Shaking her head, she raised a hesitant fist to the door. A few seconds of silence passed. Then, a few more passed. Susie waited, holding her breath in some vain hope that the door would magically open and Ralsei would greet her, rather than the other way around. Unfortunately, not even the peculiar rules of the Dark World would allow for that. Bracing, Susie rapped her knuckles against the door in a faint knock.

No response. Susie waited, hearing the faint echoes of her knock around her. The noise was almost too clear. Then, after a preparatory breath, Susie banged her knuckles against the door in a more standard request for attention. Some more echoing seconds passed.

"Hello?" Susie faintly heard on the other side of the door. The voice was quiet and muffled, but those were the two most defining characteristics to what Ralsei sounded like. It nearly made Susie ditch her stupid plan on the spot, but she kept her boots nailed to the ground like railroad spikes. Another hesitation passed before Susie opened her mouth. Then the door opened, preemptively interrupting whatever lame excuse Susie was about to give.

Ralsei peered up at the girl from behind the door, fist rubbing his eye under his glasses like he'd just woken up. Crap. Did Susie arrive _too_ early? He wore his usual green robe, but his scarf wasn't currently present. Neither was his hat. Seeing the absence of his headwear, Susie stared, unable to even shut her mouth as she blinked in befuddlement. She was hardly prepared to face him with the expectation of his usual appearance. The lack of shadows proved far more daunting than what most English teachers would have Susie believe.

"Susie?" Ralsei tried again, an audible surprise in his voice. The grogginess of his expression faded with his tired posture. He tilted his head, one floppy ear spilling over his shoulder like a milky blanket. The stubborn tufts of fur on his forehead were messier than usual. His glasses had an odd tilt to them, too, but in a strangely endearing way-

"Quit staring," Susie forcibly reminded herself.

Ralsei blinked. "Staring?" he repeated. An embarrassed blush surfaced on his cheeks, and his attentive posture slunk back into shyness. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare. I just, um, wasn't expecting to see you so early."

The misunderstanding shocked Susie's body back into animation. She raised her hands defensively, waving them way more than she probably needed to. "N-no!" she tried clarifying for him, an anxious sweat on her forehead. "I wasn't talkin' to- uh, I mean… that was, like, a… joke."

Ralsei didn't immediately understand Susie. Neither did Susie. Ralsei kept his head tilted, still a little confused by the girl. "Oh," he granted. "Okay, then." Curious, Ralsei peered around Susie's taller figure. "Where's Kris? Did they not come?"

Right, Susie probably should've expected that question. "Oh, uh, nah." She scratched the back of her neck, trying to silently punch down her anxiety with little effect. "They'll swing by later. Probably. I just came in early."

Ralsei looked back up to Susie, humming. If he was bothered by the atypical punctuality of his friend, he didn't show it. Susie really hoped that wasn't the case. He spoke hesitantly, one claw moving to scratch his cheek. "We should probably, um, wait for them before heading out…"

Susie nodded aggressively, telling herself to dial it back a little too late. "No, yeah, totally!" she assured the Prince. Here came the hard part. Well, the _harder_ part. "I actually wanted to ask you something. A favor, kind of. It's kinda… dumb, but..."

Ralsei looked at her expectantly, waiting for her request. Susie had hoped that being alone would make it easier to ask, but in practice, the opposite was the case. Kinda sucked. Still, Susie pushed the words through her throat as best as she could, eyelids shut as tight as her fists were clenched.

"I kind of… wanted to… practice ACTing."

Susie waited in silence for a few seconds. Carefully, she risked a peek at Ralsei, her paranoid instincts telling her to brace for him to laugh at her. Rather than any derision or mocking, Ralsei seemed surprised by Susie's request. More than that, he seemed _excited._ The fur on his forehead looked to be standing to attention, even.

"ACTing?" Ralsei questioned skeptically. His grin was so wide Susie half-expected it to fall off his face. He spoke with an abrupt fervor, like Susie had just given him his first cup of coffee in the morning. "Oh, I'd love to help, Susie! Of course!"

Despite logic telling her that she should've expected something along those lines, Susie was still surprised by Ralsei's reaction. He waved his hand towards her, speaking quickly. "Just let me get my things, I'll be out in just a moment!"

The door closed in Susie's face a second later, fast but not quite rude. Susie heard the distant shuffling of Ralsei as his steps moved away from her. A muffled _*THUNK*_ resounded through the wood, followed by a yelp and crash of something hitting the floor.

"You good!?" Susie called through the door. After a few more indistinct movements on the other side of the door, Ralsei's voice called back to her, still sounding excited. "I'm fine! It's okay!"

After a couple more subtle stumblings, Ralsei's footsteps faded entirely, leaving Susie in silence once again. She stood just as still as before, processing what just happened. Arguably, she should've been excited by the prospect of Ralsei actually agreeing to help her. If she could nail the one important thing she seemed to suck at the most, then going on some grand prophetic quest to save the world would be a helluva lot easier. Better than that, Susie wouldn't have to embarrass herself every time Kris wanted to include her in an ACT. At least, not as much. She'd take what she could get.

But at the same time, realizing how real and immediate the prospect of ACTing was gave Susie the same anxiety that she had when Kris first tried to rope her into it. Only now, she was going to be ACTing with Ralsei. Somehow that was a much scarier prospect than ACTing with the weirdly quiet and flirtatious one. That was probably in part to seeing Ralsei with his hat off again. Hopefully he'd have it on for whatever their practice would entail.

Just as Susie began to relax, the door suddenly threw itself open again in front of her, revealing a more familiar version of Ralsei. His hat now atop his head, scarf secure around his neck, and robe still showing off that black heart at its center, Ralsei looked more than ready for any kind of adventure. Though, really, his expression alone could've conveyed as much.

"Right this way, Susie!" he excitedly told the girl, stepping past her. He nearly skipped. Susie blinked, shutting the door behind him before following him up the stairs to the empty town. Of course _he_ wasn't nervous or bothered by Susie's request; those aforementioned guts might've had something to do with it. Really, he was probably just glad Susie showed an actual interest rather than begrudging tolerance in anything other than violence.

The two walked in silence for a short while as they made their way through the town. Ralsei spoke up, tossing his breezy voice over his shoulder at Susie. "I'm very glad you wanted to practice ACTing, Susie."

The girl spoke up after a delay, still not entirely sold on the idea despite the day's worth of self-hyping she'd tried yesterday. "Uh, yeah," she replied, rubbing the scales of her arm. Were her armlets always so itchy? "Just, y'know, figure if we're gonna keep doin' it, might as well not suck at it."

Ralsei hummed approval, reaching the crossroads in town before turning towards the open area Susie had disinterestedly strode past the day prior. The ground was paved stone, like before, but it was less of a path and more of a floor. A sturdy-looking fence bordered either side of the area, with the town behind Susie and the ornate golden door a ways forward. Past the fences were dark abysses of blackness, probably leading into the less-traversed depths of the town. Susie glanced at the lone dummy standing at the other end of the open area, seeing Ralsei stride up to it. Susie offered a quick snort to try and break the one-sided ice.

"That supposed to be you?" she asked, crossing her arms. Ralsei adjusted the scarf of the dummy, tightening the pink before balancing the tilt of the dummy's hat. He nodded, hands dusting off the green brim.

"Yep!" he told Susie. "I didn't, um, have anyone else to really base it off of, haha."

That surprised Susie. She raised an eyebrow, wondering exactly how long those homes and stores in town had been vacant. Rather than push, she shrugged, the usual gruffness working its way back into her voice. "Eh. Could make one for Kris and me."

Ralsei turned around, satisfied with the dummy, and directed Susie some distance away from it. He moved next to her with a fanged grin. "Good idea! I'd love for the dummy to have some friends of its own."

Normally, Susie would tease him for saying something like that, but she decided against it. Trying to pick up some new habits, and all. She simply hummed, shrugging again. Ralsei's hands clapped together, the boy leaning excitedly towards Susie. "Alright! Ready to begin?" he asked.

" _No,"_ Susie thought.

"Guess so," she said, trying to fall back on her usual apathy. Already she was starting to regret this. Part of her knew that the practice was important in the long run, but that didn't mean she felt any less apprehensive at the moment. Unperturbed, Ralsei nodded, motioning towards the dummy.

"Okay, so first things first! ACTing!" he began. Somehow he managed to mix the boring sound of a teacher with the excited tone of a friend. "Through ACTing, we can get through any fight without violence! Even the strongest enemies-"

"Yeah, yeah," Susie tried cutting off. She got the whole "peaceful" spiel yesterday, and truth be told, she wasn't currently in the mood to be reminded of how vehemently opposed she'd been to it. Not that she intended to be rude, either. "I get why, I just wanted to, y'know… not suck at it."

The interruption seemed to catch Ralsei off guard. He paused mid-sentence, his mouth slightly agape. After a mandatory couple of seconds, he recomposed himself, adding an apologetic tone to the odd mixture his voice already possessed. "A-ah, right, sorry, Susie. I'm so used to giving the whole tutorial…"

The prince shook his head, fluffy ears swaying a couple seconds after the fact. "It's alright! We'll just skip ahead to the actual, well, ACTs."

Susie did her best to listen and drown out her usual self-doubts when it came to being anything other than mean and violent. Another new habit to learn. "Why don't you try hugging the dummy, Susie?"

It took a few seconds for Susie to process the request. Her arms stayed crossed, her eyes narrowing in skepticism. She leered at Ralsei for even longer. The confidence of his features gradually drained, and he began fidgeting with his robe. He looked like he'd just asked for her jacket.

"A hug?" Susie eventually asked. Incredulity dripped from her voice. "Seriously?"

Ralsei continued fiddling with the frayed ends of green, glancing up at Susie's height. "U-um, well… yes. Kris had no issues hugging the dummy."

A nervous laugh fell from Ralsei's lips. "In fact, they hugged _me_ a few times before I could convince them to hug the dummy!"

Susie wasn't completely taken aback by the notion, though she'd be lying if she said that hadn't surprised her even a little. "Really?" she asked again, almost as incredulous as before. "They hugged you? Multiple times?"

Ralsei nodded, still wearing a nervous grin. "Yes, they seem quite… flirtatious."

Susie had to laugh at the admittance. "I'll say," she agreed. Still, she didn't quite move to embrace the dummy. She had a bit of a different idea of ACTing before she came here. Besides, she wasn't exactly… "good" at hugging.

Silence pervaded the two delta warriors for another few seconds before Ralsei raised his palms. "I-it's okay, Susie," he told her. "We can try something less, um, physical. Why don't you start with a compliment?"

That sounded more her speed. Well, it sounded less "not" her speed than hugging. Susie hummed, adjusting one of the spiked bracelets around her wrist. "Compliment, huh?"

"Yep!" Ralsei said. The confidence returned to his voice like a dog excited to play fetch. "If our opponents feel good, it's often easier to convince them to stop fighting."

Made sense to Susie. Though, her poor attempts at compliments yesterday didn't exactly fill her with confidence. She waited for a few moments, eyeing the dummy. "Any, uh, tips…?"

Ralsei tilted his head. "Tips?" he repeated, sounding more like he was speaking to himself than Susie. He mulled something over in his head before speaking again. "Um, well, try to be specific to them. People like it when they feel special."

Susie still didn't have much of an idea on where to start. She was still getting used to this whole "friends" thing, let alone making strangers feel good about themselves. Strangers that'd inevitably be trying to kill her, even. "Do you have, like, an example?"

She was really giving Ralsei a run for his money. Again, he tilted his head, thinking for a moment. "Okay," he started. "I noticed you moved your hair out of your eyes, Susie. It's a good look for you!"

Susie's eyes broadened, the girl not expecting a compliment geared towards _her_. She assumed that he'd speak hypothetically, or maybe even compliment the dummy, not her. The yellow of Susie's eyes suddenly darted away for a second, trying to downplay the strength of Ralsei's compliment. Damn, this ACTing thing really was effective.

"Uh," she muttered, "thanks. Think I got it." Ralsei smiled at her, waiting patiently. Unsure, Susie eyed the dummy, its arms still outstretched. The girl coughed, then forced her vocal cords into action.

"'Your scarf looks… cool,'" she quietly mumbled, like she was back in 3rd grade reciting poetry in front of the class. Ralsei probably couldn't even hear her. That hope was shattered when he gave out a flattered "Awww!" If it'd come from anyone else, Susie probably would've decked them for how patronizing it sounded. With Ralsei, though, it was just endearingly nice.

"That was good, Susie!" he told her. "Try another!"

Apprehensive as she was, Susie did have to give Ralsei's confidence credit. Helped her own confidence, in a sense. "Alright," she started, facing the dummy's gleeful expression. "Um, I like your robe, too? Green looks good on you."

Like before, Ralsei gave her an encouraging hum. It further lessened Susie's apprehension, as did the boy's willingness to help. "Great!" he said. "You can try complimenting something other than their appearance, too. People feel especially good when you talk about their interests or personality."

Susie nodded, dropping the defensive cross of her arms. This was proving far easier than anticipated, and the triviality did not go unappreciated. Susie coolly motioned towards the dummy with her head, red bangs still swept out of her vision. "'Kay, well, you're a real nice guy. Good at singing, too."

Ralsei's smile was nearly audible. His pride definitely was. "Aw," he said, "that was fantastic, Susie! Well done!"

Despite her habits, Susie allowed herself just a few minor chuckles. "Yeah," she continued, getting into it. "You're also, like, a helluva lot more patient than everyone else. Kinda brave, too, with how you called me out on my BS. Makes me proud."

Ralsei didn't immediately respond, pulling Susie's relatively excited features to him. Seeing the surprise on his face persuaded Susie to take another look at what she said, draining the enthusiasm from her expression. Oops. So much for "sooner being caught dead."

"Thank you, Susie," Ralsei granted, sounding soft. A tint of red marked itself on the shadowed fur of his face. While it wasn't the hardest thing in the world to achieve, Ralsei's blush only served to solidify exactly how honest Susie had just been. Her freckles darkened a few shades as Ralsei continued. "And… I just didn't want to give up on you. I knew you were one of the heroes of the Legend."

A gentle laugh glided through his fangs like falling leaves. "More importantly, I knew you were a good person."

If Susie's eyes weren't broad before, they were now. Ralsei had sounded so genuine that all Susie could reliably accomplish was an uneasy laugh of her own.

"H-ha," she tried deflecting, waving a hand in the air. God, she'd rip out her own blood if it meant getting rid of the stupid blush on her stupid face. "You trying to one-up my compliment game, now? Show-off."

After a few blinks, Ralsei returned from the borderline enamored tone he held to his usually polite one. "N-no," he stuttered, not unlike Susie had. "I-I just, um… I wanted to thank you. That's all."

Susie tried another cough to get the awkwardness out of her system. It didn't help. She forced herself to talk anyways, hoping that would overcome the awkward silence of the alternative. "Yeah, no prob. It's cool."

Sandpaper would've been smoother. Ralsei nodded, doing his best to move forward with their practice. "Well, that was very good, Susie. You're a natural at compliments!"

Some part of Susie wanted to mention that it was the dummy that had made complimenting so easy, not any predisposition. Then, realizing the implication of whom the dummy represented, that part was swiftly silenced. Susie simply allowed herself to listen, the deep color of her cheeks slowly fading as Ralsei spoke. "There are plenty of other ways to ACT, too. Compliments can be very effective, but sometimes you'll need to convince or lecture the enemy to put down their weapons instead."

Doing her best to follow Ralsei's momentum, Susie nodded. "Figured as much," she said. She's had experience "convincing" plenty of people. Though, she doubted that her own standards for the word lined up with Ralsei's. He probably didn't mean to _intimidate_ the enemy. Not like he could, anyhow, with a soft face like that and all.

" _We ain't complimenting anymore,"_ Susie had to tell herself. " _Quit it."_

Ralsei broke into her thoughts again. "Try convincing the dummy, Susie! If it helps, you can try to talk about finding a peaceful solution or mention how you don't want to fight."

Susie looked back at the dummy, still as immobile as ever. The happy expression of it didn't give Susie the impression that she had to try very hard to convince it to stop fighting. Seeing how closely it resembled Ralsei made it even more difficult to imagine some hypothetically violent scenario with it, but Susie managed. "Uh, okay. So…"

A couple moments of contemplation passed. It wasn't often Susie wanted to _stop_ fighting something. Or someone, for that matter. "Why don't we, uh… talk this out? Fightin' just makes us both tired."

Ralsei nodded, hands together in some form of approval. "Good, Susie! Now try to lecture it."

"Lecture…?" Susie mumbled. Usually she was the one _receiving_ lectures. Yesterday's whole confrontation about "acting like a hero" came to mind, though not strictly with regret. It wasn't like she was lying when she said she was proud of Ralsei. Maybe Susie could try to channel that kind of confidence without so obviously trying to just impersonate her friend.

"Uh, hey," she began, pointing a finger at the dummy. Some effort was put into her voice in the hope that it'd sound commanding without falling into that usually scary tone she was more familiar with. "Fightin' is stupid, and we both know it. Quit being a jerk."

That sounded a little weak to Susie. Ralsei put a hand to his chin, thinking. "Not bad," he told her. "It helps to be specific again, though. How would you lecture me- er, the dummy, if it was needlessly fighting you?"

The brief correction only brought Susie's attention to the dummy's appearance, making her glance at Ralsei from the corner of her eye. "I dunno," she admitted, shrugging. "It's kinda hard to imagine you fighting, dude. You're too nice for that stuff."

Ralsei grinned shyly. He seemed to take Susie's inability to attribute violence to him like a compliment. Then again, her tone wasn't exactly remorseful when she said as much. "Thank you, Susie," he replied, shuffling in his boots for a moment. "I suppose not everyone will need to be lectured."

Susie snorted. "Hope so."

The Prince gave a few lighthearted laughs. "Well, then. Should we move onto physical ACTs?"

Susie's eyes narrowed again, the girl crossing her arms. As an effect, Ralsei laughed again, much more nervous than humored. "I-it doesn't have to be hugging, Susie. There are plenty of different ways to ACT, after all!"

"Mhm," Susie grunted, looking at the dummy again. Truth be told, she wasn't as against the idea as she was before. Still leery about it, but…

" _Ah, what the hell,"_ Susie told herself. Trying to outrun her nerves, Susie lifted her boots from the ground, tramping towards the cotton Ralsei like she was going to smack it into low orbit. Ralsei watched curiously as the girl eventually closed the distance to the dummy. For once, she was glad her hair was so long and messy; it meant she didn't have to acknowledge Ralsei's existence from the corner of her vision while she did something so arguably ridiculous. Ironic, considering he was the main motivation she had when she'd placed her arms roughly under the dummy's shoulders. The girl robotically lifted it up, finding it lighter than she would've assumed, and squeezed how she assumed most people did.

Silence reigned for a couple seconds. Then, with as much stiffness as she'd started with, Susie put the dummy's stand back on the ground, snaking her arms back to her sides like a pair of rulers. She could've sworn she could feel sweat drip down her forehead.

"Uh… like that?"

Ralsei didn't respond for a few seconds, inflating Susie's paranoia enough to convince her to turn towards him. He seemed surprised, a tint of red on his cheeks again. A smile broke out on his face like a wildfire, and he strode towards Susie with such deliberation that she half-expected him to hug her.

"Exactly!" he assured Susie, now standing next to her. Her arms still stood like poles at her sides. "That was excellent, Susie! I'm very proud of you."

Under most circumstances, Susie would take the statement with sarcasm or derision. As usual, though, Ralsei sounded so explicitly genuine that Susie couldn't help but grin, trying to downplay the effects of such a simple statement.

"Yeah, yeah," she tried waving off, rolling her eyes. "No biggie. Just figured, uh, if Kris could do it, then it couldn't be that hard. Y'know."

Ralsei chuckled. "Don't tell Kris, but that was actually better. Like I said, they hugged me a few times before actually hugging the dummy!"

Again, while not unrealistic, Susie was a little surprised by the reminder. A distant idea formed in Susie's mind, though she struck it back down on instinct alone. After all, Susie was there to practice ACTing, not just copy whatever Kris did. What was it with Kris being so flirty, anyways?

Susie attempted to clear her throat a few times too many before speaking up again. "S-so, uh," she started. Her eyes moved over the newly hugged dummy for a few moments, imagining that its smile was somehow wider. That was probably because of Ralsei. "Any other, um… lessons, or tips, or whatever?"

Ralsei thought for a moment, his eyes moving to the pitch-black sky far above. "Hmm… not too much, I'd suppose. In a normal encounter, the dummy could easily be SPAREd by this point and the fight would be over."

Huh. That was way easier than expected. Susie sighed, letting her stiff posture relax a tad. Before she could say anything, Ralsei spoke again, sounding curious. "Though, I suppose there _are_ other physical ACTs…"

Piqued, Susie glanced at the boy. "Like what?" she asked. Somehow, she found herself wanting to be thorough, if only to hold onto that satisfied feeling that she actually did something properly. It was an interesting feeling when combined with her gut instinct to just be done with this whole thing, though that instinct had been lessened considerably by Ralsei's constant encouragement. He seemed to have that effect.

Weirdly, though, Ralsei didn't look as encouraging as he was a minute ago. Now he looked embarrassed, as though he immediately regretted bringing up other ACTs. "H-heh, well," he stuttered, wringing his hands together. "Um… y-you see…"

The Prince coughed in some attempt to reset his vocal cords. "I-I just meant that, it all depends on whomever we're fighting, is all."

Susie kept her eyes on her friend for a brisk couple of moments. "Right…?" she agreed. Usually this was when Ralsei offered a tip or example. Now, though, he looked hesitant to say anything at all. It was a jarring 180 compared to how much gusto he began with. In a fit of irony, Susie pushed a little further herself, still wanting to make sure she covered all the bases when it came to ACTing. "Like, any examples?"

Both Susie and the dummy waited in silence. Ralsei's voice eventually worked its way out from under his hat, uncharacteristically quiet. "W-well, with those Rabbicks from yesterday, Kris and I had to blow the dust off of them so they felt good and clean. And, also, Kris rearranged the Bloxers so they weren't so cross."

Ralsei glanced at the dummy, thinking for a moment. "With the dummy, hugging it typically works, though I suppose, um, tickling would, too?"

 _Now_ Susie was interested. She looked over the dummy's features, humming. Ralsei spoke with a sudden urgency, still stuttering like he regretted bringing up the whole idea of physical ACTs. "B-but, you already hugged it, so, don't worry about that! You've already done everything you need to, Susie."

Everything she needed to, but not everything she wanted to. "Come on," Susie found herself teasing. Unfortunately for Ralsei, his encouragement went a long way when it came to giving Susie confidence. The fact they were alone could finally be counted as a good thing, too. "What's the harm in a thorough lesson?"

Ralsei hummed. Calling him "apprehensive" would be an understatement. There was a caution to his features, though he didn't want to mention exactly why. Susie had a pretty good idea why. He spoke after delay, motioning towards the dummy once again. "Well, um, if you think it's a good idea… you can tickle the dummy. I suppose."

Susie didn't move right away. She stood still, body still facing the dummy, head turned towards Ralsei. A mischievous grin broke out on her lips, and her eyes narrowed. Ralsei rocked on his boots, trying to avoid Susie's eyes as he fidgeted with his scarf. Neither person mentioned the very obvious idea hanging over both of them.

"Well, y'know," Susie tried pushing. Now she could understand why Ralsei was so hesitant to bring up "other physical ACTs," and while justified, that didn't stop her teasing. "The dummy ain't gonna react at all if I tickle it, right? Same with the hug."

Ralsei did his best to stand his ground. It was a noble effort. "I suppose not…? But, um, I would-"

Instantly, Ralsei shot his eyes to Susie's, trying to retroactively swallow his words. "-I-I mean, our opponents might-!"

Susie took a step towards him, raising her hands menacingly. "Nope," she told him, as if reading his last rights. "Too late."

Before Ralsei could even react, Susie's arms shot under his, moving her fingers sporadically against his robes. The soft fur underneath made it feel like she was tickling a pillow, but it was effective all the same. A harsh laugh flew out of Ralsei's mouth like a rocket as he stumbled backwards in a vain attempt to create some distance between them. Susie pressed the advance, intensifying her movements against his midriff as Ralsei's laughs intensified in tandem.

"S-stop!" he tried telling her between his laughs, unable to suppress the instinctive grin on his face. Susie could relate. "Y-you don't need- haha, S-Susie, plea- hah!"

Susie laughed alongside him, only making enough of an effort to make sure Ralsei wouldn't hit the ground too harshly. Her hands kept themselves under the weak-point of Ralsei's armpits, still tickling away with reckless abandon. To Ralsei's credit, he did make a couple vague attempts at swatting Susie's arms away, but between his laughing convulsions and the gap of strength between them, he lightly patted her arms at best. Then Susie's efforts fell in vain as Ralsei collapsed to the ground entirely, guffawing the entire way down like… well, like he was being tickled to death.

"S'matter, dude?" Susie teased, following him down. This kid was ticklish as hell, and in true friendly fashion, she was taking full advantage of it. Ralsei wriggled on the ground as Susie continued drumming her fingers against his sides, legs kicking harmlessly under her. "Is the fight over yet? Ready to be SPAREd and everything?"

"Y-YES!" Ralsei yelled above his own voracious laughs. A few laughter-induced tears began collecting at the corners of his eyes. His hat loosened a tad, pushed off his head by the ground. The twitching wasn't making his hat any more secure. Barely, Susie could feel the adrenaline of Ralsei's arms start to fade with fatigue. She let out a mock huff of annoyance.

"Fine…" she granted, blowing a loose bang of hair out of her face. "If I HAVE to." Despite her assurance, Susie kept her arms against Ralsei just a tad longer. Then, she allowed herself to relent a little, eventually putting her hands on the ground around Ralsei as his giggling subsided. A little, at least; from the way he was still chuckling after the fact, Susie expected him to be tickling himself or something. The boy's chest rose and fell dramatically with each of his breaths, laying one of his arms over his glasses and subsequently pushing his hat further off his head. As an effect, his fur became exponentially lighter, now a prominent white instead of the usually shadowed black. Susie was too busy with her own lessening laughs to make as much of a deal out of it as usual.

"S..suh…" Ralsei huffed out between gasps of air. His smile looked permanently attached to his face. Susie could tell as much from how close she was to it, leaning over the Prince's slack body with a grin of her own.

"And now, Prince Ralsei," she spoke like an honorable knight. Her hand moved away from the pink scarf splayed on the ground to make an emotional fist over her heart. "I elect you mercy, sparing you from battle."

Ralsei laughed again, evidently not too put off at the sudden excitement Susie had incited so early in the morning. He took another couple of breaths before leaning up a tad, putting his elbow on the ground next to him to prop himself up. His hat stayed on the ground as he raised his head to Susie's grinning features. The sight of his hatless face did surprise her, but now it was taken in stride rather than as a conversational sandbag.

"Th...thank you, Susie," Ralsei said, shaking his head. After a couple lingering giggles, he sighed, smiling warmly at his companion. "I think you're quite good at ACTing."

Susie reciprocated the grin, raising one of her hands to his side again. "I dunno," she joked. "You sure I don't need more practice-"

"YES," Ralsei instantly tried interrupting her. His free hand moved over hers, not quite forceful, but still secure around her scales. "I'm sure."

Susie raised an eyebrow at his equivalent of a slap, smirking. She shrugged as best as she could with one hand on the ground. "If you say so, Rals."

As if to mimic her, Ralsei raised an eyebrow, not moving his hand off of hers. His face still had a tint of red from laughing so hard. "'Rals?'" he questioned.

Susie glanced at him, not expecting his surprise. Then, recognizing his surprise, she herself became surprised. It was such a natural thing to say that Susie hadn't given it a second thought, but seeing Ralsei react otherwise gave her doubts. Those doubts were compounded by the fact of her realizing that she actually still wasn't used to seeing Ralsei without his hat off. Just like that, her easy confidence went out like a puff of smoke.

"Uh… y-yeah," she tried assuring Ralsei, desperately feigning confidence like her life depended on it. At the moment, that was the vibe she got. "Y'know, short for Ralsei? Like a nickname. It's, um, a friend… thing. I think. Nicknames. Yeah."

Ralsei's curiosity didn't go anywhere. Again, Susie found herself wondering if her armlets were always so uncomfortable. After a few seconds, Ralsei grinned again like nothing ever happened. "Oh," he granted, breezy as usual. "Okay! I like it, Su.. Susan?"

He thought for a second. "Sus's? Sue?"

Susie shook her head, unable to suppress another handful of chuckles. Bless his friendly heart. "Susie works," she told him, adjusting her knees against the ground. "I'll just pretend its a friendly nickname."

The grin on Ralsei's face broadened a tad. How he even managed that, Susie couldn't say. He spoke warmly, nodding like he just promised her a cake. "Okay, Susie. It's a good name."

Susie didn't say much, still just keeping her smile on him. It was a weirdly peaceful moment, considering she borderline assaulted Ralsei just a second ago. Ralsei was similarly quiet, matching the placidity with his own gentle smile. The two kept their eyes on the other for a short while, not moving to get up from the ground. Susie was in no rush. Who knew stone could be so comfortable?

Eventually, something occurred to Ralsei, suddenly lifting his eyebrows like geysers. The shift was so abrupt that Susie reacted in a similar fashion, recoiling a tad. A deep red flooded his face once again, and he suddenly glanced away, craning his neck to the side. Curious, Susie tilted her head, wondering what the issue was. She glanced at the dummy next to them, seeing it still with a happy face like usual. Ralsei's hand suddenly left her, and he scooted his legs out from under her body. The boy raised a shaky hand to his green cap, putting it on in a matter of seconds.

"W-well, Susie," he started, lifting himself from the ground. Still curious, Susie watched him, keeping her eyes on him as he got up herself. Looking around confirmed that they were still the only two sentient people around, unless there was something about that dummy that Ralsei wasn't telling her. Susie had her doubts. Ralsei spoke up again, clearing his throat before half-heartedly resuming his cheery tone. "That was very… productive. I'm glad you wanted to practice ACTing."

Susie hummed. "Productive" was kind of an odd choice of words. "Uh… yeah. Thanks for the help. Learned a lot."

Ralsei smoothed out his robe, moving his hands to his scarf to adjust the red. Every one of his movements looked… off, somehow. Anxious, but not in the way Susie was used to seeing him. "I feel the same way," he mumbled through his scarf. It looked like he wanted to wrap it over his snout. Still, Susie didn't want to prod. After another couple extra seconds of recomposing himself, Ralsei grinned at Susie like she just imagined his brief bout of anxiety. "Well! We can wait inside for Kris before resuming our journey. I'm sure they'll be very impressed with your ACTing."

Susie hummed, giving Ralsei the benefit of the doubt. "Sure," she said, following after Ralsei. She glanced at the grinning dummy behind her, only now noticing Ralsei had gone so far as to tint its cheeks red. Talk about attention to detail. "You still owe me some cakes, anyways."


	2. Learned

"Y'know," Susie found herself admitting, "I gotta say, this ain't at _all_ like what I had in mind."

"Hm?" Ralsei responded, carrying himself across the carpet towards the opposing corner of the room. The boy moved briskly while Susie surveyed the dim area in front of her from the door's threshold. "What do you mean, Susie?"

A scaled hand reached up behind Susie's neck, scratching it anxiously. "I dunno," she mumbled with a shrug. "I don't wanna sound like a jerk, but, like, I thought it'd be more… castle-y. Medieval and stuff. No offense."

Ralsei hummed, one claw passively rubbing at his cheek. "None taken," he assured the girl. With a quick flick, light flooded the room. The Prince lifted his boots from the ground, walking back towards Susie and un-perching his hat from atop his head. Susie was too busy taking in his living room to awkwardly stare as he placed the green headwear on a rack just to her right.

Like Susie had said, she had expected Ralsei's home to be more fantasy-esque. He was a magical Prince from an alternate world living in a town primarily lit by blue torches. Surely his living conditions would reflect as much, or at the very least, match the whole "olden times" aesthetic. Maybe a dusty old rug, some banners draping from the walls, or even a few of those weird statues of knights that always creeped Susie out. Hell, some stained glass could have been expected, what with the whole "prophecy" thing Ralsei had been going on about yesterday.

What Susie was _not_ expecting was the completely modern room laid out before her. There was a coffee table some distance in front of her, black wood clean and devoid of any mold that might've theoretically plagued such an old place. A comfy-looking sofa sat behind that, a few small pillows dotting each of the three green cushions. Behind _that_ was a tall bookshelf filled to the brim with what Susie's deductive skills assumed to be books. To Susie's credit, there _was_ a rug on the floor, but it was far from the ornate red-and-gold weaving she'd assumed would decorate the furnishings of Ralsei's home. Just a simple navy-blue rug with a simple pattern of hearts at the trim. A recliner sat at the far corner of the rug like a patient house-guest. It looked even newer than the one in Susie's house (though, to be fair, that thing very well _could_ have come from the medieval era). All of the spacious living room was lit by an overhead ceiling fan, its blades lazily spinning with a quiet hum.

Susie took it all in from the doorway, unable to connect the complete normalcy of the room with the castle's exterior. The wood of the gate next to her was similarly decrepit looking, a dusty iron loop serving as it's handle, and yet—

"Holy crap," Susie instinctively let out, nearly recoiling as her eyes moved from the metal ring to the device a few feet past it. The coffee table, the sofa, even the recliner, _those_ were jarring. Not entirely out of the realm of possibilities, but definitely unexpected. Seeing a wide, tastefully modern television where Ralsei supposedly lived was outright _bizarre_. Susie stepped into the room to get a better look at the TV, not even registering the palpable shift of warm air. The device sat above a well-kept fireplace, simple but clean. The grate was composed of black metal with an impossibly ornate pattern that made Susie's head spin. As for the TV itself, it looked like something out of… well, something people would buy on TV. There were a few buttons in the corner with various tiny symbols, tucked away snugly under a black screen almost as wide as Susie's wingspan. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Ralsei move towards the coffee table, bending down to pick up a small black rectangle that looked to be unjustly knocked off prior. A TV remote.

"Uh," Ralsei began sheepishly, placing the remote back onto the table before adjusting that back into place. "Still not what you were expecting, Susie?"

The girl only shook her head, not taking her eyes off of the television. Her bewildered reflection stared back at her, as if the screen was a window into the alternate reality where Ralsei was just a modern, normal dude with a modern, normal living room. Only that _was_ Susie's reality. She muttered some words out of the corner of her mouth, still looking over the cleanliness of it all.

"Lookit this thing," she said incredulously. If she wasn't still digesting the fact that this all belonged to Ralsei, she'd give an impressed whistle. Through the reflection, she could see Ralsei's nervous smile.

"I don't typically watch TV," he admitted, fiddling with his scarf for a moment. "I prefer reading, but sometimes there's a few good things on."

Susie finally allowed herself to turn back around, eyes still subconsciously taking in the painted drywall in an attempt to mentally replace the cracked vine-ridden stone that she assumed would be in its place.

"You got TV in the Dark World?" she asked, like the large evidence now behind her was an illusion or figment of her imagination. Susie's skepticism was as stubborn as the rest of her. As an effect, Ralsei was hesitant to nod, confused by the question.

"Um…" he drew out slowly. His claws scratched near the pink of his horns. "…yes? Do you, uh, not have television in the Light World?"

Susie began to shake her head, thought for a moment, then nodded. Then, seeing how little that cleared up, she opened her mouth. "Yeah," she said uncertainly. "'Course I— course we do, I mean. I just, uh, wasn't expecting _you_ to have it."

The girl cleared her throat, shuffling in her boots. "No offense."

Ralsei nodded in understanding, cheeks widening with an easy smile. "It's alright," he told her, "I suppose you wouldn't know much about the Dark World, since it's your first time here and all."

Technically second, but Susie got what he meant. She got the feeling that she'd be surprised regardless of how little attention she gave to the place yesterday. "Yeah," she returned. "Kinda figured it was all 'magic' and fantasy stuff, but, like… guess not."

Ralsei let out an easy laugh, the anxiety Susie had witnessed earlier seemingly gone. She never did find out what caused it, but that probably wasn't important enough to worry about after the fact. There were more pressing things to focus on at the moment. The Prince made his way to the couch, sinking a fair amount into its cushions before reaching towards his boots. He spoke as he worked the criss-cross of threads lining his foot wear.

"Well, if you have any questions, I'd be more than happy to answer them!" he said with an infectious enthusiasm. Susie watched him for a few moments, glancing around the living room one more time. She had her questions, sure, but she didn't really know where to start. Instead, she kept surveying the room in some vain hope that some guidance might be found in the architecture. There was a doorway on the far right wall, though the room beyond was too dark to interpret much about it. A similar empty rectangle was found at the back corner of the living room, next to the bookcase. As the bizarre realization of Ralsei's living conditions set in, so too did the unfamiliarity of visiting someone's home. Not that Ralsei was a complete stranger, obviously, but… suffice to say, Susie didn't have a lot of experience in visiting a friend's house.

The girl was quiet, still not moving from her spot on the rug. Distantly, they could hear a subtle _*tick...tick...tick...*_ noise echo from somewhere further in Ralsei's home. Must've been a clock, Susie guessed. Being able to hear it only thickened the uncomfortable silence Susie found herself sinking into like tar. Ralsei kept his eyes on her curiously, fingers slowing as he slid his boot off of himself. A few awkward seconds passed as he moved to the opposing boot, watching Susie.

"You can sit down, Susie," he tried offering. "The couch can be very comfortable." Susie moved her wandering eyes back to him, waiting another few seconds.

_*Tick...tick...tick…*_

"Right," she tried playing off. "Yeah."

Hesitantly, the monster tore her boots from the felt-like rug underfoot and strode around the opposing end of the coffee table. She carefully weighed herself onto the cushions like a sack of bricks. There was one assumption about Ralsei's home that translated pretty well from his appearance; his couch was soft as hell. Susie nearly fell into the cushions, not expecting so much give in the fabric. Her hand latched onto the armrest to steady herself.

"Jeez," she tried joking in the hope that it'd clear the awkward air. "This some sorta water-couch or something?"

Ralsei tilted his head to the side, curious. "'Water-couch?'" he repeated. "What's that?"

Susie stared at him for a few moments, her words getting caught in her throat like she swallowed a bug by accident. Or on purpose, going off of experience.

"Just making a crappy joke," she tried recovering. It was anyone's guess as to whether or not she succeeded in the effort. "It's not, uh, actually a thing. I think."

Ralsei looked disappointed. "Oh."

Silence began creeping back in again, just as uncomfortable and sludge-like as before. In a desperate scrambling for her earlier momentum, Susie forced her jaw to unhinge itself. Unfortunately, that led to her blurting out the first observation on her mind, and it wasn't exactly ground-breaking; "You got electricity."

Again, Ralsei was caught off-guard at her assumption to the contrary. He visibly paused, blinking at the girl for a moment. A few chuckles left his lips, and he resumed untying his other boot.

"Of course," he replied. He motioned upwards with his snout to the ceiling fan above them, still casually spinning its blades at a speed that would disappoint even the oldest of blenders. "I… don't exactly know how advanced the Light World is, but I'd like to say we're fairly modern in terms of technology."

The Prince laughed again, shaking his head. "We have running water, too, in case you were wondering."

Susie found herself grinning with a roll of her eyes. Despite her inexperience with friends, she had to admit that Ralsei was doing a pretty good job putting her at ease. He was much more of a "people" person than she was, that was for sure. Taking his offer, Susie spoke again, curious. "So you got radio then, too, right? Pretty sure that was invented before TV, probably."

Ralsei slipped his boot off his leg, placing it neatly against the other as he hummed confirmation. "I don't, um, own one," he specified, "but they're around."

Susie thought for a moment, eyes moving to the ceiling fan above them. Only seconds passed before she found herself staring at the television in front of them, still in awe at the mere size of it. "What kinda channels you get, anyways?" she ventured. Judging by Card Castle, entertainment was mostly limited to funky looking animals and insane murderous jesters.

Ralsei contemplated something in his head before moving to speak. "Admittedly," he began, "I don't use the television all that frequently, but there is a fantastic documentary channel about various bugs and animals in the wild. It's very interesting!"

Susie was unimpressed. As if to save face, Ralsei rushed out an addition to his answer. "But, there are a few other kinds of things to watch. Entertainment shows, news channels… even some odd game shows."

To Susie, it sounded like the typical fare, going by most people's standards. She wasn't quite as knowledgeable about television herself. Not that she wanted to really admit as much to Ralsei. Instead, she moved on, placing one of the couch's pillows behind her back as she spoke with a natural curiosity. "Well, what about movies? Video games? Cell phones? Anything like that stuff?"

Ralsei took another couple seconds to himself before answering. "Movies do exist," he began, "though I don't tend to watch them. The same goes for video games. And, um, I _do_ have a cell phone, but…"

An odd pause followed his words. Susie waited expectantly, curious. Ralsei's eyes moved aside for a moment in an unfamiliar expression of… not quite nervousness, but something vaguely anxious. Susie couldn't interpret much about it. Eventually, Ralsei cleared his throat, continuing. "I-I don't have much, um, reason to use it. But they are fairly commonplace in the Dark World."

Susie hummed. As magical and fantastical as the Dark World looked on the surface, there was evidently a lot more modernity going on under all those castles and spells. Those MP3 players in Lancer's room came to mind. Ralsei's living room alone was evidence enough, really. Susie's mind wandered, wondering how far that modernity extended. The fact that there were still kings, queens, and knights wandering around the same world where kids could yell at each other over their mothers' faithfulness was almost too bizarre for Susie to wrap her head around, but she managed. Then, reminded of the whole "royalty" business, Susie turned back towards Ralsei.

"So how'd you get all this stuff, anyways?" the monster asked. "Is it all part of that 'prince' deal?"

Ralsei appeared startled by the question, green eyes broadening a moment. Susie really had no clue how Ralsei lived (aside from "well," apparently). So far, between the emptiness of the town and evident lack of roommates in his place, Susie would have assumed he lived alone, but then that led to a dizzying array of _other_ questions, not the least of which being where Ralsei's parents were. He called himself a prince, not a king. As much as Susie tried to spitefully deflect any manner of education away from herself, she still understood the difference between the titles. Ralsei tugged at his scarf for a moment, thinking.

"Most of it was… here, already," he explained cautiously. His tone was strangely slow, every word handled like a shard of broken glass. Even in the silence of the living room, he was hard to hear. "I don't buy many new things aside from food, or the occasional book. I haven't really had to replace much outside of a few kitchen utensils or… um, utilities."

That answer wasn't exactly satisfying. Susie shook her head, pushing again. "Well, it had to come from somewhere, right? Did someone else get all this stuff?" Susie threw out a lazy hand, gesturing to the television in front of them. Ralsei's reflection looked uncomfortable. "Your dad got a thing for watchin' sports games or something?"

Ralsei was quiet for a bit. He wrung his hands together, displacing some of his white fur in the process. After a hefty delay, he sighed, the breath sounding heavier than the TV. "I don't, um, really like talking about it…"

An abrupt apprehension wormed its way into his tone. Calling it unexpected would be doing the word a disservice. Susie had struck a nerve, evidently. Taking the hint, she backed off, raising a defensive palm upwards. "Ah, alright," she tried easing him. Not something she was the best at, but not for lack of trying. "No biggie."

A silent nod was all she received for a response. It'd do. Quiet, Ralsei shuffled in place, looking torn between adjusting his scarf or the pillow behind him. Neither looked to be making him comfortable at the moment. Susie thought for some change in topic, but nothing came to mind. The unfamiliarity of such a well-kept place didn't help. She was still taking in the contrast to what she'd assumed would decorate Ralsei's home.

_*Tick…tick…tick…*_

"Actually," Ralsei broke the silence like a dinner plate against the kitchen floor. He suddenly turned to her, forcing his features together into some vaguely determined expression. Susie raised an eyebrow. "No," he said, "you should know. We're both heroes of the Legend, after all."

That was surprising. What was also surprising was that Susie didn't feel like straining an answer out of him. Sure, she was curious about how his life operated, but even she could understand wanting to keep some things private. Privacy was practically her bedfellow. Not that most people could tell as much looking at her behavior, but then that was probably the best evidence for such a value.

"It's fine, Ralsei," she waved off with a shrug. The awkward inexperience of such an arguably casual motion forced her spiked armlets against her sides. "You don't have to talk about it. Think I'll survive."

The Prince seemed to take after Susie's stubbornness, shaking his head again. His ears waved dramatically with the motion, as did his scarf. "But we're a team," he reasoned. "Surely we should get to know each other better, right?"

Susie almost gave an instinctive shrug of skepticism, but that would probably send the wrong message. Ralsei continued, quiet again. "A-and, besides, I don't like keeping secrets from my friends."

There was such authenticity in the statement that Susie only tilted her head, not giving a rebuttal. Ralsei used the gap in their exchange to clear his throat, opening his mouth after a hefty delay. "There are a few shops past Card Castle where I buy most of my things," he explained, "out near the City. But… most of my furniture was already here by the time I… woke up. Er, maybe 'arrived' is a better way to explain it…? I'm not, um, sure…"

That definitely piqued Susie's interest. She leaned towards Ralsei, her eyebrow raised skeptically. His wording was so strange that Susie didn't even note how far her hand had sunk into the cushion between them. "Hold on a sec," she said. "'Woke up?' What's that supposed to mean?"

Ralsei wrung his hands together again, evidently trying to ease himself in the process. It didn't seem to be working. The fur on his wrists reflected his frazzled attempts at speech almost too well. "I-I don't really know. I just… was here, one day. I can't recall what happened before that. It's difficult to remember."

The valley of Susie's eyebrows deepened, some part of her reading the vague weight of what Ralsei was saying. Instinct told her to counter that with skepticism; common sense told her that she probably should've discarded whatever assumptions she had 10 minutes ago. The two feelings clashed as Susie questioned her friend, unsure. "Wait," she began, "you don't… what're you saying, Rals? Do you have…?"

Even someone as hard headed as Susie knew when to bite her tongue, but she'd said enough. Ralsei's expression fell veritable leagues, like he just received some very unfortunate test results that he'd suspected for a while. He gave the subtlest hint of a nod, moving his eyes to the coffee table in front of them.

"Yes," Ralsei confirmed softly. "I suppose you could call it, uh… a kind of amnesia. Though, that's essentially what it boils down to…"

The yellow of Susie's eyes grew exponentially, contesting the crease of her eyebrows for space. Her scales suddenly felt a lot colder. Doubt kept her mouth slightly ajar, her mind processing what her friend was saying.

"I, uh…" she heard herself. This was _completely_ new to her, and unlike how it felt to discover friendship, she didn't find the revelation exciting in the slightest. The concept alone had seemed so distant and foreign. Usually, all she had to worry about was the occasional jerk or bad-tempered parent. One of her few friends having something as jarring as amnesia seemed impossible to prepare for, regardless of how much opportunity she had in advance. Having _no_ preparation certainly made things even more difficult. "Damn, dude. I… I'm sorry."

Ralsei's head shook in place, as subtle as his nod has been. "Don't be," he assured her. While still quiet, he didn't sound explicitly heartbroken about the matter. More disappointed than depressed. "I've learned to live with it, mostly. Besides, that, er, 'happened' a long time ago, as far as I'm aware."

The boy gave a faint smile to his companion, and unlike what Susie's instincts would have assumed, the grin didn't seem forced. There was a saddened longing that most people would expect from him, but some semblance of Ralsei's usual optimism blended with the expression, pulling his eyebrows together. Susie found it difficult to describe. "Honest" would probably be a good start.

"Still, though," Susie said. She ignored how abruptly softer her voice had gotten. Before, Susie had compared the awkward silence like sinking into tar; digesting the weight of Ralsei's amnesia felt about as debilitating. She didn't even know what to call it. A condition? Mental health issue? Event? "That's really crappy. How long have you…"

She mulled over her words for a second. Politeness wasn't her strong suit, much less politeness over something so… heavy. Only yesterday, Susie was making fun of him and his whole pacifistic spiel. She still needed _way_ more time to get settled into the prospect of caring about someone, and the curveball of that someone having amnesia threw her well out of the ballpark. "How long _do_ you remember living here?"

Ralsei was silent, tilting his head. Something about the quiet poked at Susie in a very uncomfortable way. The hum of the fan mixed with the distant ticking of that clock from somewhere in the castle's depths, far too clear to be taken as background noise.

"S-sorry," Susie tried apologizing. "Is it okay to ask that? You don't have to answer if you don't wanna."

Again, Ralsei shook his head so faintly Susie could barely even recognize the action. "You're okay, Susie. I just… like I said, it's very difficult to recall much about it. I suppose… around two years?"

He hummed. "Maybe three?"

Susie expected more, honestly. At this point it'd be safe to just toss out whatever she might've assumed about Ralsei; better yet, just going with the opposite might've been more accurate. Her curiosity grew exponentially with the newfound concern Ralsei had incited. Hiding as much currently wasn't at the top of her priority list, exactly, but her subconscious still kept her tone at bay. Trying to balance the two feelings, and all.

"What was it like, back then?" There was more authenticity to Susie's question than either she or Ralsei expected. Her head tilted a little into her jacket's collar, the girl leaning further towards Ralsei to the point of nearly falling over. She scooted herself a tad closer as a result. "Was it hard?"

Ralsei pursed his lips in thought. Susie took the opportunity to adjust herself better, sliding her boots closer towards him. The last time she listened to someone so intently was… never, really. Maybe on those few occasions involving her parents, but the context was so vastly different now that she didn't think those times counted.

"It _was_ difficult," Ralsei explained. His fingers locked themselves together on his lap, resting gently on the soft green fabric of his robe. Susie didn't notice at first, but the shade of green between his robe and the sofa were almost identical. As an effect, he nearly disappeared into the fabric when he relaxed into the couch, aside from the snow-white fur of his head and pink of his scarf. "I knew how to feed myself and everything, but I had no idea where or even when I was. The only thing I knew was my name, and the Legend."

"The Legend?" Susie repeated. That was an odd memory to be left with. When Susie had impatiently slogged through his speech yesterday, she figured it was some weird kid's story he'd taken a little too seriously. The fact that Ralsei's sole memory was some grand prophecy suddenly made Susie take it more seriously. Even she could tell that probably wasn't a coincidence. Ralsei looked up to the ceiling above them, as if reciting the Legend in his head. Then, appearing satisfied, his eyes moved back to Susie.

"Mhm. Everything else, I learned through the books already in the castle." He motioned behind himself with a flick of his snout, bringing Susie's eyes to the bookshelf behind him. Susie wasn't much for reading, but that probably would've changed if that was all she had on hand. "About the world, people. how to sew…"

His tone gradually let up from the severe caution he first started with. Susie could hear a unique edge of honesty in his voice that she found pleasing, like he was slowly-but-surely easing into sharing something so personal. "There were a great deal of history books, too. Most of them were about Lighteners and Darkeners, and how we used to coexist."

Ralsei chuckled for a moment, which was as unexpected as it was welcomed to Susie's ear holes. "Though, the books on baking and cooking were much more useful!"

There was an unspoken obligation to laugh back at Ralsei, though Susie found the mandatory nature irrelevant. "I'll bet," she agreed. For added emphasis, she patted her stomach. Most people's stomachs growled when they were hungry; Susie's roared.

Both Prince and monster fell quiet, freezing as the guttural noise echoed throughout Ralsei's home. It sounded so deep that Susie probably could've challenged some animal's position of authority with her empty stomach. The girl blinked, an embarrassed blush reddening her features.

"U-uh," she stuttered, then promptly cursed herself for stuttering. If only she still had those red bangs of hair to hide behind. "Sorry. I, um, had a light breakfast."

After getting over his initial shock, Ralsei returned his attention to the girl next to him. His features didn't look all that offended. Then again, Susie wasn't looking at him enough to really tell for sure. Her eyes scanned the coffee table in front of her like she was going over some theory to the secret of existence. "What did you have?" the monster heard her friend ask.

Susie thought for a second, freckles still trying to hide in her blush. "Nothing?"

Ralsei was quick to respond, shifting more of his torso towards her in mock accusation. "Susie! Why did you skip breakfast? It's a very important meal!"

Under most circumstances, Susie would have teased him about sounding like what she assumed most people's moms sounded like. The shift from the heavy topic of Ralsei's amnesia should've given Susie social whiplash, but it didn't feel explicitly out of place. Like she could comfortably understand both parts of Ralsei. This friendship thing was a helluva lot nicer than she anticipated, which was saying something.

Meanwhile, in reality, Susie couldn't answer Ralsei's question very well. There was so much genuine concern in his voice that all Susie could muster was a guilty shrug. The extent of her agency in the matter of meals didn't extend to her feelings, she guessed. "Forgot," she mumbled through her yellow teeth, face pulled to the side. "It doesn't usually matter. I'll be fine."

Ralsei frowned, his feigned offense solidifying for a moment. "'Usually…?'" he muttered to himself. Or maybe that was him asking for some kind of clarification. Susie didn't respond either way. She kept her mouth shut, not wanting to look at Ralsei for fear of… she didn't know. Her gut wanted to say "judgement," but that wasn't something Susie really tended to worry about. It wasn't supposed to be, at least.

Regardless, Ralsei didn't push. He stayed quiet, not giving much indication to what he was thinking. Susie used the opportunity to return to those two (or three) years Ralsei had spent living in the castle, subconsciously hoping it didn't sound like some empty attempt at deflection. That combination of curiosity and concern _was_ still there, after all.

"So there wasn't anyone else around?" Susie asked. "Just you?" There was an obvious delay between Susie's question and when Ralsei had responded, the prince not being as ready to glance over Susie's eating habits. The potential that Ralsei was just being hesitant to explain more about his past wasn't lost on Susie.

"...yes," Ralsei answered. For better or for worse, he regained that quiet honesty that had filled his voice just a few moments ago. It pulled Susie back into their conversation like a fishing line. "I checked everywhere, but I couldn't find anyone in either the town or the castle. No one but me."

That got to Susie more than she thought it would've. Before she could lament her friend's loneliness, he spoke again in a more familiar tone. "But, that's not to say I didn't, um, find _anyone._ There were those shop owners, and I've seen people near the City when I go out sometimes."

Susie assumed that Ralsei was trying to make his situation sound a little less sad, though the effect was rather the opposite. To her, it just sounded like an insult to injury. "So there's people out there," she said, "but not anywhere near you? How far is it to the closest… y'know, _person?_ "

After a deep breath, Ralsei mulled an answer over in his head. "Technically, the closest settlement is Card Castle, but I… try to stay away from that place. Or, I used to, before we helped overthrow the King's tyranny."

Ralsei scratched at the side of his neck, anxious. "I didn't really agree with all they were doing, even before the Knight appeared and began corrupting the land."

Based on what he was saying, it didn't sound like Ralsei's isolation was as bad as Susie first thought. There was some degree of comfort there, but she still felt her eyebrows creased together. Forced isolation _on top of_ amnesia… jeez, and she thought _she_ had it bad. At least she could watch her classmates, and even intimidate them from time to time. Her earlier dreams of living alone suddenly didn't seem so idyllic when Ralsei had actual experience in the matter.

"So… what about the 'Prince' thing?" Susie asked. She hoped it wasn't as sensitive a topic as she first thought. Seeing Ralsei so suddenly tense up shattered those hopes instantly, but she at least tried to clarify her question. "Was that one of those things you just kinda knew when you, um, 'woke up?' Or do you have some kinda family album, or…?"

The pause now was even longer than before. Maybe Susie was pushing the envelope of what was and wasn't grounds for discussion, but she had asked for a reason. She didn't like the idea of some dumbass king just leaving his amnesiac kid all alone to fend for himself. Didn't matter if that kid was one of her only friends or not, that's just a jerk move in general. Eventually, Ralsei mustered up enough courage to speak, albeit faintly.

"I just… like I said, I knew the Legend. 'A human, a monster, and a Prince from the Dark.' And, well, with me waking up in the castle, I thought..."

He trailed off into silence. Susie waited patiently, then realized that was all Ralsei had to say. The message clicked, but not without a painful couple of seconds of realization.

"Oh, yeah, I get it," Susie tried covering for him. If that was just how he thought of it, then Susie had no qualms with the self-proclaimed title. She highly doubted that Ralsei hadn't looked for any semblance of evidence in all his time. Plus, living in a castle was as good a reason as any to be called royalty. "Makes sense. So, you want me to start bowing to ya or somethin'?"

Thank goodness, she'd managed to get Ralsei to laugh. Phew. He chuckled at the notion, waving a dramatic hand to his side. "Of course not," he returned, his grin as soft as it was honest. "I don't think I'm that kind of prince. And, well, if I was, then not anymore."

The corner of Susie's lips pulled back in a grin. Hearing Ralsei talk about his unorthodox living situation, reluctant or not, sounded nice, in a strange way. He must've been onto something with that whole "get to know each other better" thing. Considering how little time he had to learn things, that fact was doubly impressive to Susie. She leaned back into the couch, feeling a soft cushion behind herself. "That's a relief," she granted. "I don't like authority types."

Another few chuckles fell from Ralsei's lips. His fangs lifted in a warm expression, looking to Susie with such authenticity that she could hardly believe it was directed towards her, were it not for the direction of his head. Some thought reached him, and his smile transformed into a curious pout.

"Um, Susie?" he began quietly. Susie kept her yellow eyes locked to his, listening. "Would you… like some breakfast?"

Of all the questions Susie might've expected, that one definitely wasn't on the list. She blinked, going over the words a few times in her head to make sure she hadn't misheard him. Ralsei took the opportunity to fill in the silence, still sounding a little timid. "I haven't had breakfast myself, actually, and I thought that since you haven't either…"

"Psh, yeah, alright," Susie agreed. She nearly interrupted his explanation, she had spoken so fast. Probably didn't sound like the "cool" thing to say, but at the moment, she didn't really care. Ralsei's grin returned to his features like a magnetic boomerang.

"Great!" he exclaimed. The prince straightened his back about instantly, reinvigorated by the prospect of food so much that Susie figured she was looking in a mirror. "It'll be nice to have an outside opinion on my cooking."

Susie had to laugh. Her cool grin subsequently lost a lot of its "cool" edge, but again, she didn't care. Ralsei pulled himself off of the sofa's green cushions, standing upright and nearly melding his shins with the coffee table in the process. Susie stood up herself a few seconds later, following Ralsei's upbeat stride toward the empty doorway at the edge of the room. Her eyes wandered around the living room before falling back on the boy in front of her.

" _Amnesia,_ " Susie thought, watching Ralsei's scarf flow out behind him. He certainly didn't walk like someone who lost more than three-quarters of his life to the unknown. Despite the gap in memories, the guy hadn't let that stop him from being his usual cheery self. More than impressed, Susie felt glad. Just… happy for him, she guessed. An unfamiliar feeling, but a welcome one. That was becoming something of a pattern for her.


End file.
